American Elm, Ulmus americana - Ernest Wilson

“The most graceful tree of the northeastern states and Canada and one of the most beautiful trees of the northern hemisphere.” - Ernest Wilson, 1930 Ulmus Americana (American Elm) on was once a widespread tree found throughout the floodplains of Eastern North America where the tree offered forage for grazing animals and is thought to be intimately associated with the lifecycles of over 500 species of insects. American Elms were planted frequently in cities, due to their spectacular vase-like form and tolerance of various environmental conditions. All this changed with the Dutch Elm Disease, a fungus from Asia, which first arrived in 1927 and in the following decades decimated the American Elm population.